Will The Brothers In Arms Help?

(continuation from last Tuesday’s Battle For Women’s Hockey)

The future of a brother and sister relationship between the NWHL and the NHL looked promising until the folding of the CWHL. After the announcement by the CWHL which was a shock to the players and coached of the League, the NWHL declined to comment as play for the IIHF World Women’s Championships was set to begin.

A few days later, #ForTheGame movement began. #ForTheGame is a movement which was begun by 200 collegiate and professional women hockey players who vowed not to play this year until a sustainable women’s hockey league was formed. The movement includes Hilary Knight, Shannon Szabados, Kendall Coyne-Schofield, Brianna Decker, Sarah Nurse, Jocelyn Lamoreux, Monique Lamoreux and so many more women from the Canada and the United States.

Answering the second question on how much input a new women’s hockey league would want from her brothers-in-arms, or rather brothers-in-labor, will determine if the new league wants to be a monopoly or not? It will also determine if it wants to model itself after the NHL with 2 minor leagues underneath its wings like the AHL and ECHL. It will also determine how it wants to acquire young talent. Will it want to look at female leagues similar to the QMJHL, OHL, etc. like the NHL? Or, will it want to develop talent like the NBA with a D-League? Will it want to be a true sister league like the NBA and the WNBA? Or, will it want to stand on its own?

We can assume the new women’s league will take the round robin format with a final tournament to select a champion for scheduling. However, if the new league takes the approach of being a sister league to the NHL, it could grow from the free promotion of its league from the NHL’s reputation. It would further the NHL’s message of inclusion as well.

Before the folding of the CWHL and the IIHF World Women’s Championships tournament, it appeared the two women’s leagues especially the NWHL were on their way to finding themselves as sisters to the men of the NHL. But then, there was this notice from the New Jersey Devils:

Since the beginning of 2019, relationships between the NWHL and the NHL teams have been starting to dissipate. First, the Pegulas, owners of the Buffalo Bills (NFL) and the Buffalo Sabres (NHL), ended their relationship with the Buffalo Beauts. Pegula Sports and Entertainment officially handed back the Beauts on May 8th to the NWHL. Now, the New Jersey Devils severed ties with the Metropolitan Riveters.

For an outsider, the beauty of those relationships was the dream of an eventual growing the leagues together similar to the NBA and the WNBA. It appeared to fit the slogan that “hockey is for everyone.” It was a sign of inclusion especially after asking Brianna Decker and Kendall Coyne-Schofield to participate in the 2019 NHL All Star festivities and previous workout sessions between NHL teams and elite professional, female hockey players (e.g., Hilary Knight with Anaheim Ducks).

Today, reality has began to sink in and whatever future women’s hockey league–whether it be NWHL, another rebirthed CWHL, or XYZ–will need to determine its relationship with the NHL or whatever male premiere league that country may have.

The brother-sister relationship can be appealing especially in establishing quick growth, but there are alternatives. One alternative, however unlikely based upon bias, is those elite female hockey players compete and find a way onto the ice in the NHL.

A more likely alternative will be a league for women that must not only find a way to be sustainable but do so with a male counterpart league that would act more like a partner than a brother. In reality, that form of a relationship may be more beneficial for the life of a women’s league in hockey. Allowing it to learn from its male counterpart and yet adding its own unique feminine qualities to the game.

As U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg once said, “I ask no favor for my sex; all I ask of our brethren is that they take their feet off our necks.” Do the ladies want to answer to Gary Bettman in a brother-sister league or create something of their own that they envision? The ladies need to remember the history of their leagues as well as the history of the NHL to figure out what ingredients are key to their success. The recipe with the quality of play the ladies offer could cook up a league that not only thrives but competes with the men for the NHL’s share of 3.7 billion dollars of revenue.